Thread: Segmented Sliding Cabinet Door

Hi Mike,this design of "Tambour door" as it is known goes back over 200 years and has been discussed on the forum before.
I doubt that you will find pre-made ones but construction is not particularly difficult.

Thanks very much Mark - I knew I'd seen such doors before but had no idea what they were called. Searching is much easier when you know the name of your search subject

Cheers

Wow ok, just watched a couple of videos on making them. It's super easy.
Thanks again Mark

ha ha ha,, nothings as easy as it looks, believe me sunshine. But patience and you'll get there. Thats why I haven't.

Well it looks pretty straight forward. Cutting a set of slats and sticking canvas on the back.... I'm sure it will have its tricky spots but it's no three way mortise and tenon joint!

Just a thought, we had a new kitchen put in a couple of years ago, the tambour door is available from the kitchen cabinet people. Ours works like a charm and they can be made to order, sorry, don't recall the cost but we didn't feel it was excessive.

Thanks Bob, however, since seeing how these are made, I've decided to incorporate a gradient of either different timbers or sequentially stained darker timbers, to make a gradient along the length of the door, or possibly fading darker into the middle, then lighter again to the other end.

Sounds interesting, be sure to put up some pix or do a work in progress as we could all learn something.

Hi Mike

There are two basic design concepts for tambour doors:

• First, uses a canvas backing for the door, and
• Second, does not use any backing.

I much prefer the latter. They are not difficult to make provided you think out each step carefully. Precision is paramount otherwise they stick. A little lubricant in the slide makes it feel much better - parafin wax, floor polish or whatever.

Have a look at:
Review: Amana tambour door router bit set - slick idea - by Brandon @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community


Fair Winds

Graeme

I've only done them using a fabric backing. I used cotton duck, which is lightweight canvas, for the backing. You've probably got the basic idea from looking at the videos, but here are a couple of tips based on my experience.

1. Make up a frame to hold the strips square while you lay them up.
2. Cut the duck a little wider than you intend to glue. You don't want the duck to go into the tracks, but you can cut it to width and peel the excess off later.
3. Mask the ends of the strips where you don't want glue.
4. Use PVA glue (Titebond II works well), and apply it to the strips being careful not to let it run between them. It only needs to be applied lightly. Also, apply it to the backing. Allow them both to dry for at least an hour, longer if it's humid.
5. Place the backing in position, put brown paper over it, and use a hot iron to go over it thoroughly. This re-activates the glue, and the backing and strips will be stick together well.

I should have said at the start...don't forget to leave a track at the back, or plan another way to put the tambour into its track.

Having given these details, I once restored an old Austrian tambour made in the 1920s that was backed with hessian, covered with newspaper so you couldn't see between the slats, and it had lasted nearly 80 years!